


Fallen on Hard Times

by Iloveadabarba



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, College-aged Sonny, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Prostitution, Public Defender Rafael Barba
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-17 15:33:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18101366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iloveadabarba/pseuds/Iloveadabarba
Summary: Twenty year old Sonny Carisi is arrested. He desperately needs his public defender to help him so he can return to his life of school, two jobs and helping raise his sister's baby.





	1. Public Defender Rafael Barba

**Author's Note:**

> I know. I have WIPS. 
> 
> But I had to write this.

This is not how Sonny expected to spend his evening. It was definitely almost midnight. Bella was probably worried sick about him. He should have been back at the apartment hours ago. Why hadn't he used his call to get in touch with her? What could be tell her? That he would be going to jail or worse get a heavy fine when they could barely afford the apartment. 

He was such an idiot. He should have never agreed to try to make some fast money. But he was a college student, supporting not just himself but his sister and her newborn baby. He should have told the guy no. 

“Mr. Carisi.” 

Sonny looked up from the police table he was sitting at. The room was dark and scary, on purpose he assumed. Leaning by the door was the Detective that had been grilling him for hours before he asked for a lawyer. In the opened door was a man in a suit. His suit looked too fancy to belong to a public defender.

“Yes…” he ran his hands through his hair and sat up straight in an attempt to make himself presentable. 

“I’m Rafael Barba, your counsel.” The man, Mr. Barba, had a firm voice. Mr. Barba looked at the Detective still in the room, eyebrows raised. 

“I need to speak to my client… alone.” His tone was condescending and cold. 

The Detective rolled his eyes and exited the interrogation room. 

“Mr. Carisi, I was called in because you have been arrested for solicitation. Is that correct?” Mr. Barba’s tone was mechanical. 

Sonny’s whole face turned red. If he hadn’t died of embarrassment when the cops had arrested him in his boxers, he might just die now under the scrutiny of Rafael Barba. 

Thankfully he was fully dressed. The officers hadn’t gathered his clothes from the hotel room so he was stuck in Police Academy sweats and a t-shirt. He wasn’t going to call Bella for clothes, that was certain. 

“Yes. Yes, sir, Mr. Barba.” He answered politely. He was raised right, even though he was in a situation that might suggest otherwise. 

“Hmm, you’re a long way from Staten Island, Mr. Carisi.” Mr. Barba stated coolly. 

“Sonny, please call me Sonny.” Sonny dared to look the man in the eyes, Mr. Barba’s eyes were an intense hazel color. “And the Bronx isn’t that far away.” 

“You probably should have stayed on the island.” Mr. Barba added.  
Sonny’s hope that his defender was going to help him was slowly fading.

Mr. Barba stood and walked around the table. He hopped up on the table and sat very close to Sonny, leaning in when he spoke. 

“Tell me what happened. The truth. And I will do my best to help you Mr. Carisi.” 

Those intense eyes were too much for Sonny to look at. 

“You didn’t ask me if I was innocent or guilty.” Sonny observed. 

“All I want is the truth. We can deal with the people’s labels later.” 

The sincerity and care in Mr. Barba’s voice tore at Sonny. He started to cry for the first time since this started. He hadn’t cried in years. Not since….

“Mr. Barba...I-” Sonny began but his cries started to become a sob. 

He felt Mr. Barba shift next to him. He looked up and Mr. Barba was holding out a handkerchief, not a tissue, but a fabric one with embroidered letters on the edge. 

Sonny took the handkerchief and wipes his eyes. Lord above, he was twenty years old, crying in an interrogation room with a handsome lawyer next to him. 

“I work two jobs and go to school full-time.. My sister got kicked out, when she got pregnant, she’s only eighteen and her boyfriend isn’t around. I’m taking care of her and the baby financially. I was working in the coffee shop one morning when I guy told me I could make twice as much money being arm candy for rich folks who needed dates to events. He gave me his card and… and I looked up the company online. It seemed legit.”

Mr. Barba seemed to be listening intensely. Everyone about the man was intense. He left his perch on the table and returned to his seat, taking out a legal pad from his briefcase and he began to write. 

“Continue.” he muttered at Sonny while he was still writing. 

“I called the guy up and accepted. He set me up with a date...last night. The guy was a perfect gentlemen-” 

Mr. Barba’s head shot up. “The guy?” 

Sonny felt dread course through him. He hoped Mr. Barba didn’t hate people like him or this could be very difficult. 

"Yeah, he..." Sonny stated and Mr. Barba went back to writing. 

“We went to a party and I pretended to be his date. We acted like we had been seeing each other for a while. We went back to his hotel for drinks and…” 

Shame. The hot feeling flushed his cheeks. He knew after telling Mr. Barba the rest of the story, the man would probably tell him he was screwed. 

“He said that he wanted to pretend this was like a real date...and if I slept with him, he would make it worth my time-You gotta understand, Mr. Barba.” Sonny interrupted his own story, “Bella’s hospitals bills are high. She had a lot of complications and she can’t work. The baby is crying all night. I barely made rent this month. I know I should have said no.”

“Stop.” Mr. Barba said curtly, looking up from his writing. 

“Did he offer you money?” Mr. Barba asked. 

“No, but I knew-” 

“So the answer was no.” Mr. Barba cut in. 

Sonny nodded dumbly. 

Mr. Barba wrote a few more sentences before placing his pen down on the table. 

“Have you received any money from the escort company?” 

Sonny couldn’t read Mr. Barba’s expression. He seemed calm and collected. Sonny supposed that made the man a good lawyer. 

“No. I filled out an application online after talking to the guy on the phone. I was suppose to go into the office at 11am today.” Sonny explained. 

“Then why did they arrest you?” Mr. Barba’s calm face, changed to annoyance. 

“The guy, Mark, had left money on the table. I thought it was for the maids. I-I didn’t think-”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Carisi, I’m going to help you. I need to make a few calls.” Mr. Barba stood and left the room. 

Sonny felt completely numb. He was going to get help. The lawyer didn’t laugh at him, didn’t ridicule him, he didn’t look at him with disgust… Mr. Barba was going to help him.


	2. Charges Dropped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rafael gets the charges dropped but at what cost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This little fic is helping me get back into writing. Hope everyone is enjoying it!

Mr. Barba was a smooth talker. 

Sonny was released from the interrogation room within a hour of Mr. Barba’s visit and placed in another room. This one was well lit with comfortable couches. 

Still dressed in the police clothing, Sonny decided to curl up on the couch and sleep a bit. 

“Mr. Carisi.” 

Sonny wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep before Mr. Barba joined him in the room.

“The Captain has agreed to drop all the charges. They aren’t going to keep you.” 

Sonny nearly leap on the couch. “Seriously? Wow. Thank you, Mr. Barba.” Sonny walked over to the man with his hand held out, “I can’t thank you enough-” 

“There is one condition.” Mr. Barba gently pushed Sonny’s outreached hand away. 

The sick feeling was back in Sonny’s stomach. What could the condition be? 

“The police and the ADA’s office need you to keep your appointment at the offices of this agency. They need you to be wired and get the guy who hired you to admit that sex is on the menu for the company.” Mr. Barba’s serious tone of voice was not lost on Sonny. 

“I..don’t really have a choice do I…” Sonny excitement was now replace by fear. 

“Of course you have a choice.” Mr. Barba placed his hand on Sonny’s shoulder. “You shouldn’t let a mistake at twenty define you.” 

As soon as Mr. Barba’s hand touched his shoulder it was gone again. 

Sonny looked the man over. He had been in such distress when they met that he had noticed his expensive clothes but not the actual man. Maybe that was how Mr. Barba preferred it. He was handsome, his hair styled carefully, clean shaven, with an even tan complexion. 

“I would do what they ask. This agency could be taking advantage of people, putting them in similar situations as you. You can help the police and yourself.” Mr. Barba continued. 

“Okay. I will do whatever the police ask. I just…” 

Sonny felt unsure. Would he be putting himself at risk? Would the police be looking out for him? What if something happen to him and he didn’t get to tell Bella? 

“I almost forgot, I convinced the Detective to give me back your phone.” Mr. Barba reached in his pocket and pulled out the cell. 

“WOW! Thank you! They told me I wouldn’t get it back till they could get a warrant to check it!” Sonny took the phone and unlocked it. 

As he suspected he had many text messages from Bella. He immediately starting typing out a text. It was 3am but he knew she was probably still awake. 

“Well, since they are dropping charges, they won’t need it. And…” Mr. Barba leaned against the doorway, “The Detective has a thing for me.” 

Mr. Barba grinned, looking proud of himself. 

Sonny scoffed. “He was a real jerk. Wouldn’t even let me put my clothes on. I was led out to the police car in my boxers. He…” 

Sonny stopped himself from telling Mr. Barba how rough the arresting officers had been. He knew he would have bruises from their treatment. 

Mr. Barba’s eyebrows raised when Sonny stopped speaking. 

“Nothing. Nothing, Mr. Barba.” 

“Rafael. You make me feel old when you call me Mister. I blame that Staten Island accent.” Mr. Barba, Rafael’s smirk was back. 

“Anyway, thank you. I know it’s your job to represent folks like me but I would have been screwed without a good lawyer.” 

Rafael’s expression softened. “Mr. Carisi-”

“Sonny.” 

“Sonny, you’re just a kid. You need to take better care. Especially since you have people depending on you.” Rafael said softly. 

Sonny didn’t feel like he was getting lectured. He took in Rafael’s words somberly. 

“A kid?” he scoffed with no real heat, “You can’t be that old counselor.” 

Sonny felt his face heat up. He really shouldn’t be discussing his lawyer’s age when the man’s job was done.   
Rafael just laughed, “I’m twenty-nine, I hope I’m not old yet.” 

“Well, I guess you will be going now. Again, I appreciate-”

Before Sonny could finish, Detective Jerkface shoved into the room, pushing between Sonny and Rafael. 

“Sit down.” he ordered. 

Sonny quickly obeyed. 

The man looked over to Rafael and his stern expression changed slightly, “Rafael, it’s always a pleasure. You know your way out.” 

After his dismissal of Rafael he turned back to Sonny, a real anger shining in his eyes. 

“Now, you are going to follow every instruction I give you, or I will throw you in the lock up for as long as I can keep you.” 

Sonny nodded in agreement hoping he could avoid angering the Detective further. 

A fake cough cut through the silence of the room. Sonny looked at the doorway and noticed Rafael hadn’t moved from his spot. 

“Yes, Barba?” The Detective asked, obviously annoyed. 

“I think I should stay for the operation.” Rafael walked further into the room and sat on the couch next to Sonny. 

“I’m sorry?” The Detective looked as shocked as Sonny felt. 

“I am his representation and Sonny here is a civilian. He can’t even vote yet.” Rafael said with a mocking tone. 

“Stay out of this, Barba. This is police business.” the man growled. He was probably about Rafael’s age. Young for a Detective. He was a light-skinned man with blonde hair, Sonny’s height but with a lot more muscle mass. 

“You know me. I like to be as involved as possible.” 

“The answer is no. You should leave. Your job is done-” the man started. 

“Detective Hart. If my client wants me here than I am staying.” Rafael declared.   
Before Sonny could speak up, Detective Hart spoke again, “Fine. You can stay.” 

Hart walked over the door and shut it loudly. “Only if you go to dinner with me.” 

Sonny couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Rafael had not been joking when he hinted at the Detective’s crush on him. 

“I’m sorry? How dare you-” Rafael’s voice raised as did his body from the couch. 

“How dare you convince the Captain to give this rent-boy wanna be another chance.” Hart glared at Sonny and Sonny wished he could just disappear. 

The tension in the room was high. Sonny wouldn’t blame Rafael if he stormed out of the room. But no one moved. 

“Fine. You can take me to dinner, Detective. But you’re paying.” Rafael sat back down and crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. 

Hart smiled wide. Sonny didn’t realize the jerk had it in him. As soon as they were alone again Sonny was going to tell Rafael he did not have the go to dinner with that man. He could handle this alone. 

But that moment didn’t come. He started to receive his orders and get wired for the morning meeting. 

The sick feeling Sonny had felt since the police busted in the hotel room was still lingering in his stomach. He did not want to put Rafael in a bad situation. He needed to find a way to help, at any cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos motivate me!! Thank you!


	3. From Rafael's viewpoint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened while Sonny was asleep from Rafael's POV. Then more of Sonny's thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot pretty much goes no where... Sorry.

Rafael insisted that Dominick Carisi Jr. be released from interrogation room and placed in the interview room. He looked through the blinds and noticed the young man was passed out on the couch. 

He had sway with the precinct. He had been working as a public defender since his graduation from Harvard. His mother and grandmother had been happy to see him return to the Bronx but after a couple of years they were starting to bug him about his career. How could he become a judge if he didn’t work as an Assistant District Attorney? Could he really move up the ladder in the Bronx?

He understood their concern. However Rafael liked his work in the public defender’s office. People needed his help. People like Sonny. 

After he was moved to the interview room, Rafael got to work. 

Hart allowed him to use his computer to do some research. The Detective sat at the corner of the desk. 

“You should just get the kid to take a plea from the DA. He’s guilty.” Hart stated. 

“In your opinion.” Rafael replied. 

“Come on, Barba. We both know what it takes to work our way out of poverty. Doesn’t it make you angry this kid would try to make money the easy way?” 

“I don’t think there’s anything easy about it.” 

“Raf-” 

 

“You and I did work very hard to get where we are.” Rafael started, “But I didn’t have to care for a younger sibling and a baby. You should have more sympathy for the kid.” 

Hart gave a non-committal grunt. 

Rafael gave him a glare that hoped told the man he wasn’t in the mood. Detective Hart was a tough man, he was always trying to prove himself. He was the youngest Detective in the burrows. That didn’t seem to be enough for him. 

Rafael gave a sigh of relief when Hart left the desk and let him work alone. 

Sonny Carisi had no record and had never been arrested before. There was one recorded incident involving Sonny at the family home two years ago. Domestic dispute. Rafael jotted down a few notes. He might need to ask Sonny about it. But he had enough of an argument to take to the Captain to drop the charges. 

He just needed to wait for his arrival. 

A coffee mug was placed in front of him. Rafael looked next to him to find Detective Hart. 

“You look like you could use a break.” Hart’s voice was soft. The tough man wasn’t often kind but Rafael’s suspected the empty precinct made it easier to lower is normal facade. 

“Thank you.” Rafael took the coffee and drink a tentative sip. Black. The way he like it. 

“Counselor, I was thinking maybe you would like to have dinner with me?” 

Rafael kept his features as neutral as possible. He knew Detective Hart was not out to his squad. But he had caught his appraising looks more than once before. 

“I don’t think that would appropriate, Detective.” Rafael answered. 

“Why not?” Hart leaned against the desk. “Am I not your type?” 

Rafael sighed. Detective Hart was exactly his type. He wasn’t interested in dating. He wanted to focus on his career and dating someone he worked with.. that would be a mistake. 

“Daniel.” Rafael started softly but firm, “I can’t have dinner with you.” 

Before Rafael could elaborate, they were called in to see the Captain. 

Detective Daniel Hart argued passionately against letting Sonny go without charges. Luckily Rafael’s arguments won out. Then the compromise came from Hart, “If he keeps the meeting we can find out more about this agency.” 

Rafael felt himself wince as the Captain replied, “That sounds fair.” 

Rafael wasn’t too shocked when Detective Hart asked him to dinner again. He was however surprised that he would use leverage against Sonny who was still his client. 

Rafael agreed to the request and didn’t make a big deal out of it. He definitely didn’t want to get Hart in trouble but it was going to be a nice dinner.  
______________________________________________________________________

The police had gotten Sonny an ill fitting suit and then wired him. The nerves that attacked him were only calmed by Rafael’s presence. Rafael checked in with Sonny, made sure he understood what was being asked of him and assured him that he could do this. 

The man who had hired him for the date was being held until Sonny’s meeting. Sonny hoped the agency hadn’t gotten word of their arrest. 

The van was filled with tech. Rafael had insisted on coming with them. Hart had agreed quickly. Hart was short with Sonny the entire time but was overly kind to Rafael. Sonny didn’t mind. He could handle Hart’s attitude. 

“I can’t wait to be done with this.” Hart sighed heavily. 

Sonny felt the man was sitting too close to Rafael. He was practically breathing down his neck. He did agree with the man’s sentiment though. He couldn’t wait for this to be over. 

The van stopped, a few blocks away from the building he had been instructed to go to. 

“Don’t mess this up, Carisi.” Hart hissed at him. 

“What Detective Hart means to say: We’ll be listening in and you’re perfectly safe. Just do your best. And remember what you need to get them to say.” 

Sonny reached for the door of the van when he noticed not only was Hart close but his hand was on Rafael’s knee. 

“Hey-” Sonny started. 

“Sonny,” Rafael interrupted, “Everything is fine. Just get the information they need.” 

“Yeah, Sonny boy, you heard your keeper. Go on.” Hart ordered. 

Sonny rushed out of the van and down the street. He felt anger coursing through his body. If he hadn’t gone back to the hotel with Mark, he wouldn’t have been arrested. He wouldn’t have caused Bella hours of distress and he wouldn’t have put Rafael in such a position. He couldn’t believe how open the Detective was being about his attraction to Rafael. Rafael was an attractive man but he should be treated by respect by his colleagues. Was Rafael even into men?

Sonny had been kicked out of the family home as soon as he expressed even the slightest interest in men. He had lived on his own through his first years of college. He didn’t get to go home for Christmas or Easter. He was alone. Then one day Bella had knocked on his door. His sweet baby sister, was large with child. 

He had been surviving decently before Bella arrived. He delivered pizza when he wasn’t in class and had several roommates to help with the bills. 

But when Bella showed up, no place to go, he knew he would have to work harder to ensure her and the baby’s comfort. He found a one bedroom apartment, he gave Bella the master bedroom and he slept on the couch in the front room. 

He added the job at the coffee shop after the baby was born. The costs of a baby were astounding. Bella had lots of complications and Sonny insisted she not work yet. He feared something bad would happen to her health if she pushed herself too soon. 

He had been going on very little sleep when the man approached him in the coffee shop. He was sweeping and it was strange for a customer to interrupt him. 

Sonny didn’t know why he listened to the man’s sales pitch but he did. He was intrigued by the idea of making more money than he was. He could actually spend time with Bella and his new niece if he had time. Money could solve many of his problems. Or so he thought. 

All he had to do was get the agency to admit to the prostitution aspect of their business. Then he could go on with his life and never have to deal with the police again.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated. 
> 
> Unbeta-ed. Per usual with me.


End file.
